If you want a short barrel, get a mint Ruger Speed-Six with rounded Pachmayr grips. As to whether you should make the trade, I urge an emphatic YES. Make the trade and don't
ever get rid of the 4-inch no-dash. It's a beautiful, exceptionally accurate revolver with hard chromed hammer/trigger and hopefully a stamped side plate and wood grips. I hate myself for getting rid of mine.
The 686 is really not a great snub, in my view. I love the .357 cartridge, but a short barrel "L-frame" is too big to be a suitable trail or camp gun; however, the slightly smaller and lighter 66 (and Ruger Security-Six) magnums are near perfection. I still love the snub-66 with round, rubber grips. It's the right size, power and weight, in my view. I also prize my Speed-Six, which originally was a .38spc and reamed out by a great local gunsmith by the name of Sandy Garrett, who used to work out of northern Virginia. He reamed out my chambers to exactly fit jacketed hollow points, and I can open my cylinder and drop a .357 bullet into each chamber and it'll stick, instead of dropping out through the bottom! Fit and finish are perfect: perfect b/c gap, perfect headspace, perfect chambers and a great action make it my bugout bag favorite. And though I love my 686 6-inchers (one a no-dash and one of a recent vintage), they're too heavy for anything more than range shooting.
So make the trade. And if you do, please post some photos.
I don't own any S&W 66s, but I also am a fan of the Ruger Security-Six
revolvers. Both of these are fine outdoor pistols.
And this is "Precious," named after Tatum O'Neal's nickname in Paper Moon. It's
my very accurate snubby that would be my top choice as a trail/camp gun.
The Smith 686 no-dash is a beautiful gun, with wood grips, a stamped side plate and
a hard chromed hammer/trigger. Balance is a bit too front heavy with a 6-inch, but just
right on a 4-inch.
.
